An assessment of watershed planning in Corps of Engineers civil works projects

Abstract : The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) recognizes the value of watershed planning and has made a commitment to integrate watershed planning into its Civil Works program (Figure 1). This commitment is evidenced by the Corps, 18 October 2000 adoption of the Unified Federal Policy (UFP) on watershed management, which provides a framework for a watershed approach to Federal land and resource management activities (Federal Register 2000). Commitment of the Corps to a watershed planning approach is further evident in policy documents and regulations that guide day-to-day operations, such as the Digest of Water Resources Policies & Authorities (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), 19 February 2002). General policies within the Digest indicate that the watershed perspective applies to all Civil Works programs through planning, design, construction, operation, maintenance, restoration, rehabilitation, and regulatory activities. Although the Corps has worked to implement these guidelines for several years, a consensus on what constitutes a watershed planning approach remains elusive. additionally, there has been no comprehensive effort to assess the success of watershed-based practices within the Corps. Many different approaches have been utilized because the 41 Corps Districts have latitude in the specific approaches employed when implementing watershed planning efforts and because the requirements and constraints vary from project to project. An assessment of these practices is needed to evaluate the overall success of watershed planning within the Corps.